The harbour-master came out to
meet us, and after we had dropped anchor I went ashore and met the
Governor, Mr. Douglas Young. He offered me his assistance at once. He
telephoned to Mr. Harding, the manager of the Falkland Islands station,
and I learned, to my keen regret, that no ship of the type required was
available at the islands. That evening I cabled to London a message to
His Majesty the King, the first account of the loss of the 'Endurance'
and the subsequent adventures of the Expedition. The next day I
received the following message from the King:
"Rejoice to hear of your safe arrival in the Falkland Islands and
trust your comrades on Elephant Island may soon be rescued.
"GEORGE R.I."
The events of the days that followed our arrival at the Falkland
Islands I will not attempt to describe in detail. My mind was bent
upon the rescue of the party on Elephant Island at the earliest
possible moment. Winter was advancing, and I was fully conscious that
the lives of some of my comrades might be the price of unnecessary
delay. A proposal had been made to send a relief ship from England,
but she could not reach the southern seas for many weeks. In the
meantime I got into communication with the Governments of the South
American Republics by wireless and cable and asked if they had any
suitable ship I could use for a rescue.
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